The more I write these lessons, the more I start to think that the hardest Japanese grammar is either N4 or N3 grammar.

Today we have yet another N1 grammar point that is relatively straightforward:

JLPT N1: きらいがある (have a tendency to)

We attach きらいがある to phrases to say that something "has a tendency to" or "is prone/inclined to" do something which is not good.

For example:

彼は自分の利益になること以外は、何もしないきらいがある。
かれ　は　じぶん　の　りえき　に　なる　こと　いがい　は、　なにも　しない　きらいがある。
He has a tendency to not do anything unless it's profitable to him.
Literally: "he + は + oneself + の + profit + に + become + こと + other than + は, + nothing + doesn't do + きらいがある."

Now, let's look at how we'd translate that sentence if we removed きらいがある：

彼は自分の利益になること以外は、何もしない。
かれ　は　じぶん　の　りえき　に　なる　こと　いがい　は、　なにも　しない。
He never does anything unless it's profitable to him.
Literally: "he + は + oneself + の + profit + に + become + こと + other than + は, + nothing + doesn't do."

See how much our translation changed just by adding きらいがある？

So we have:

Japanese: [Blah blah blah].
English: Blah blah blah.

Japanese: [Blah blah blah] きらいがある.
English: Have a tendency to blah blah blah.

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Construction Time

Attaching きらいがある to phrases is not too difficult:

V る ＋ きらいがある
V ない ＋ きらいがある
NOUN ＋ の ＋ きらいがある

So it can attach to a verb in present positive or negative plain form, or to a noun followed by の.

Example Vocab:

する（to do）
～てしまう（to end up doing [V]）

しない（to not do）

和食離れ（わしょくばなれ // moving away from [eating] traditional Japanese food）
運動不足（うんどうぶそく // lack of exercise）

Grammar Examples:

するきらいがある（to have a tendency to do）
～てしまうきらいがある（to have a tendency to end up doing [V]）

しないきらいがある（to have a tendency to not do）

和食離れのきらいがある（わしょくばなれのきらいがある // having a tendency to move away from [eating] traditional Japanese food）
運動不足のきらいがある（うんどうぶそくのきらいがある // having a tendency to lack exercise）

By the way, if that ～てしまう is confusing you, then look forward to when we finally have the N4 grammar lesson on it.

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人は年を取ると、昔を美化したり若者を批判したりするきらいがある。
ひと　は　とし　を　とると、　むかし　を　びか　したり　わかもの　を　ひはん　したり　する　きらいがある。
As people get older, they have a tendency to idealize the past and criticize young people.
Literally: "person + は + get older (=year + を + take) + と, + old times / long ago + を + idealization / beautification + do (and) + young people + を + criticism + do (and) + do + きらいがある."

I put "idealize the past," but I think this phrase 昔を美化する (むかしをびかする) is way cooler.

昔 (むかし) refers to the old days, yeah?

Then we take the kanji for beautiful (美) and change (化) and we get 美化 (びか). Add する to get 美化する (びかする), "to idealize; to make beautiful."

I think all of us have a tendency to 美化する the past, yeah? Actually, I recently read an article about this very topic.

OK. Let's get back to the grammar.

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妹は競馬に行くと、夢中になってお金を使いすぎてしまうきらいがある。
いもうと　は　けいば　に　いくと、　むちゅう　に　なって　おかね　を　つかいすぎてしまう　きらいがある。
When my younger sister goes to the horse races, she gets completely absorbed in them, and she tends to end up spending too much money.
Literally: "younger sister + は + horse races + に + go + と, + gets absorbed in (=fascination/absorption + に + become) (and) + money + を + ends up using to much (=use too much + end up doing) + きらいがある."

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最近の日本はどうも和食離れのきらいがある。
さいきん　の　にほん　は　どうも　わしょくばなれ　の　きらいがある。
Recently in Japan there has been a tendency to move away from eating traditional Japanese food.
Literally: "recently + の + Japan + は + it seems / somehow + moving away from traditional Japanese food (= traditional Japanese food + separated from) + きらいがある."

It is common to see the suffix ～離れ (ばなれ) attaching to nouns. When this happens, it means that there is a decrease or moving away from [NOUN]. For example, we could say:

若者の車離れ
わかもの　の　くるまばなれ
fewer young people (are) driving cars
Literally: "young people + の + moving away from cars (=cars + separated from)."

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You're finished!

No go celebrate. After all, life is music, yeah?